Lay the ViPR on the floor and stand behind it. Bend both knees as you bend down to pick up the right end with your right hand. Next, shuffle to the left as you lift the ViPR off the ground, take the raised end with your left hand, and bend both knees to place the prop back on the floor, effectively flipping it. Use your left hand to raise the left end and shuffle back to the right to complete one rep. Continue to shuffle back and forth for 30 to 60 seconds.What it works: Your butt and legs — and it can also raise your heart rate if you move like you mean it.

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2. Transverse Lunge With Chop

Kathleen Kamphausen

With both hands, grab both handles of the ViPR and stand with your feet about hips-width apart. Press the ViPR straight up over your head, keeping it parallel to the ground. From this position, take a large step backward with your right foot, landing with your toes pointing outward. Bend your right knee and twist from the waist to lower the left end of ViPR until the tube is perpendicular to the ground. Step back to starting position as you press the ViPR straight up over your head. Repeat on the opposite side, this time stepping backward with your left foot, bending the left knee, and lowering the left end of the ViPR. Come back to starting position with the ViPR overhead to complete one rep. Continue to alternate sides for 30 to 60 seconds.What it works: Your core, thighs, arms, and shoulders.

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BOSU Ball

In addition to the exercises below, you can simply stand on either end of this dual-surface prop while doing any other exercise, which challenges your stability to make the move more difficult (and effective).

Kathleen Kamphausen/Lauren Ahn

3. Forward Lunges

Kathleen Kamphausen

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Stand with your feet hips-width apart about 2 feet behind a BOSU ball, round side up. Keeping your shoulders stacked over your hips, step forward with your right foot as you bend and raise your left arm (for balance). Bend both knees about 90 degrees to lower your body until your left knee is no more than few inches from the ground. Next, press into your front heel to extend both legs and come back to starting position and complete one rep. Do as many as you can in 30 to 60 seconds, then switch legs.What it works: Your butt and thighs. Stepping onto an unstable surface recruits extra muscles to help maintain stability, which makes the whole exercise much harder and more efficient than a forward lunge on stable ground.

4. Hands Plank With Lateral Jumps

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Kathleen Kamphausen

Place the flat side of a BOSU ball at one end of a yoga mat and stand a couple feet behind it with your feet together. Position both palms on the round side. Bend both knees and transfer your weight into your palms as you hop both feet just beyond the left side of the mat. Next, hop both feet to the right side of the mat to complete one rep. Continue to alternate sides for up to one minute.What it works: Your arms, shoulders, legs, and core.

Swiss Ball

Like a BOSU, Swiss balls can increase the intensity of an exercise by throwing off your balance, which recruits extra muscles to keep you upright. If your gym offers many sizes, use one that positions your knees at a 90-degree angle when you sit directly on top of it.

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Kathleen Kamphausen/Lauren Ahn

5. Chest Press

Kathleen Kamphausen

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Grab a 5- to 15-pound dumbbell in each hand and sit on a Swiss ball. Walk your feet forward until your upper back, neck, and head are on the ball. Your feet should be about shoulders-width apart and your knees should be bent 90 degrees with your knees, hips, and shoulders in alignment and parallel to the ground. (You'll want to squeeze your butt and engage your core to stabilize your body.) From this position, bend your elbows and hold the weights parallel to your chest. Next, extend your elbows and press the weights straight up to the ceiling. Lower the weights with control to complete one rep. Complete up to three sets of eight to 12 reps.What it works: Your chest and triceps, plus your butt and thighs.

6. Bridge Rollouts

Kathleen Kamphausen

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Lie face-up on a mat and elevate both heels on a Swiss ball positioned near your butt. Extend your arms and place them along your sides with your palms facing down. Press into your arms and heels to lift your butt and lower back off the ground without letting the ball roll away. The goal is to keep your shoulders, hips, and knees in one straight line. Without dropping your hips, extend your legs to roll the ball away from your body. Bend your knees while pressing your heels firmly into the ball to roll it back to starting position, and complete one rep.What it works: Your hamstrings.

Kettlebells

These funny-looking things are like regular weights that you can hold in one or both hands. Their weight distribution makes them ideal objects to swing.

Kathleen Kamphausen/Lauren Ahn

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7. Kettlebell Swings

Kathleen Kamphausen

Stand with your feet facing forward about hips-width apart, your ankles framing a 12- to 15-pound kettlebell. Bend your knees to sit your hips backward as you reach down to grab the kettlebell with both hands using an overhand grip. Lift the weight off the ground and let it hang between your legs, keeping your elbows soft. In one explosive movement, swing the kettlebell backward (to generate momentum), then extend your legs, drive your hips forward, and squeeze your butt as you swing the kettlebell forward and up to chest height, keeping your neck in neutral alignment with your spine the entire time. Inhale and bend your legs as gravity brings the kettlebell back down between your legs. That's one rep — use your momentum to continue without stopping for 30 to 60 seconds.What it works: Your butt, thighs, and core.

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8. Kettlebell Deadlift

Kathleen Kamphausen

Stand with your feet facing forward about hips-distance apart, your ankles framing a 12- to 15-pound kettlebell. Bend your knees to sit your hips backward as you reach down to grab the handle of the kettlebell with both hands, palms facing your body. Keeping your neck in neutral alignment with your spine, exhale as you extend your legs to stand straight up, lifting the kettlebell up off the floor and squeezing your butt at the top. Reverse the movement to come back to starting position, inhaling on your way down and resting the kettlebell on the floor for a moment before you begin the next rep.What it works: Your butt and thighs.

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Resistance Loop

These super-thick bands are strong enough to hold part of your weight, which makes them awesome assisters in any body-weight moves that rely on gravity for resistance.

Lauren Ahn

9. Assisted Pull-Up

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Kathleen Kamphausen

Find a pull-up bar and stand on a bench, box, or stacked step to reach the bar. Swing the resistance band over it, and loop one end through the other. Pull the bottom of the band down to create a secure knot and stick your knee into the loop. Using an underhand grip, grab the bar with your hands about shoulders-width apart. Then bring your standing foot to meet your bent knee, crossing your ankles to hang. From this position, exhale and imagine pulling the bar to your chest as you bend your elbows and raise your chin up over the bar. Lower down with control to complete one rep, and work your way up to three sets of eight to 12. What it works: Your biceps and triceps.

Glider

These plate-like disks slide easily on hardwood surfaces, so you really have to recruit your core to control them.

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Kathleen Kamphausen/Lauren Ahn

10. Pike-Ups

Kathleen Kamphausen

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Get into hands plank position with your feet together on a glider, and your hands underneath your shoulders and your body in a straight line between the top of your head and your heels. Keeping your legs straight, engage your core and exhale as you lift your hips to bring your feet toward your hands. Slide your feet back with control to come back to plank position. Work your way up to three sets of eight to 12.What it works: Arms and core.

11. Side Lunge

Kathleen Kamphausen

Stand up straight with your feet together and your right foot on a glider. Keeping your right leg straight, use it to slide the glider straight out to the right as you bend your left knee, and sit back into a one-legged squat, raising your arms straight out in front of you for balance. Work your way up to three sets of eight to 12 on each side.What it works: Your butt, quads, and inner thighs.

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Sand Bag

Literally sand-filled bags, these are more difficult to lift than dumbbells because the weight constantly shifts around.

Kathleen Kamphausen/Lauren Ahn

12. Sandbag Arcs

Kathleen Kamphausen

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Hold a 10- to 15-pound sand bag in both hands and lie on a mat on your back with your knees bent about 45 degrees and the soles of your feet on the floor. Keeping your lower back pressed against the mat, extend your arms and bring the bag overhead, touching it to the floor. Next, exhale and engage your core to lift the bag straight up off the ground, above your head, and touch it to your knees. Bring the bag back to starting position to complete one rep. Work your way up to three sets of eight to 12.What it works: Your core and shoulders.

13. Squat to Overhead Press

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Kathleen Kamphausen

Grab a 10- to 15-pound sandbag and stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulders-width apart, toes facing forward. Holding the bag at chest level, bend your knees and sit back into a low squat, keeping your knees behind your toes as you lower down. From this position, press up into your heels as you extend your legs and arms, pressing the bag straight up overhead. Bring the bag back down to your chest to complete one rep. Do as many as you can in 30 to 60 seconds.What it works: Your butt, thighs, arms, and shoulders.

Body Bar

These props are similar to barbells, but the weight is more evenly distributed. You can do much more with the weight without bulky plates on each end.

Kathleen Kamphausen/Lauren Ahn

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14. Bent-Over Row

Kathleen Kamphausen

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Grab a 9- to 15-pound body bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulders-width apart. Soften your knees and bend forward 90-degrees at the waist, letting the bar hang down. Keeping your shoulders away from your ears, your core engaged, and your arms along your sides, bend your elbows to raise the bar to your chest. Release with control to complete one rep. Work your way up to three sets of eight to 12.What it works: Your triceps and upper back.

15. Sumo Squat to Overhead Raise

Kathleen Kamphausen

Grab a 9- to 15-pound body weight bar with your arms straight and your palms pressing against the ends. Stand with your feet about hips-width apart and your toes angled slightly outward. Keeping your chest up, bend your knees to drop into a deep sumo squat as you lower the bar to your shins. From this position, raise the bar up overhead as you simultaneously extend your knees to come into a standing position, squeezing your butt at the top. That's one rep. Do as many as you can in 30 to 60 seconds.What it works: Your butt, thighs, arms, and shoulders.

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